Mills' fast start provided Centralia with a comfortable working margin for most of the game. In fact, the Panthers never trailed.

"Justin's what I call a tempo-setter," Centralia Coach Brian Brown said. "Usually, he's doing it on the defensive end."

Mills, a 5-foot-11 senior, made all four of his attempts in his personal 9-0 run. He scored just two more points after that.

Conversely, the fourth-seeded Pirates shot 1 for 10 in the first quarter and found themselves trailing 15-6.

Boonville (11-13) started making shots in the second quarter, which allowed the Pirates to press.

This was a mixed blessing. Although the Pirates did convert several steals into points, Centralia often beat the press for layups.

"I thought the front side of our press was effective," Boonville Coach Chris Shikles said. "But we needed to cover the whole length of the floor."

The beneficiary of the Panthers' press break was 6-3 senior forward Brian Buckert, who had 12 points in the second quarter. Nearly all 12 of them were on layups or free throws after Buckert got behind the press and was fouled.

"We just outran them," Buckert said. "They had some fast guys, but we made good passes. We got passes where they couldn't trap."

Buckert finished with 21 points and seven rebounds. Dyson Dick had 10 points and six rebounds.

Boonville stayed competitive thanks to 5-9 senior guard Martez Callaway, who had a game-high 23 points and seven steals in his last game as a Pirate.

"He carried the load like he did for us all year," Shikles said. "Centralia did a good job of keying on him, doubling him. He was working hard to get shots. The whole night was a grind for us on offense."

Looking ahead, Brown said the Panthers will have matchup problems against California.

"They're a very disciplined ballclub, and they're big," he said.

The Pintos have eight players listed at 6-2 or taller and were led last night by 6-3 forwards Adam Chesser and Justin Byrd, who scored 18 and 12 points, respectively.

This means Centralia will need steady production from Buckert, who had seven rebounds to go with his 21 points, and 6-3 forward Dyson Dick, who had 10 points and six rebounds last night.

? California 64, North Callaway 54: Brendan Bohrman scored 21 points and Eric Meyer added 15, but it wasn't enough to keep North Callaway alive in Hallsville. The Thunderbirds finished the season 1-22.